The Indonesian government and WWF have announced a bold commitment to protect the remaining forests and critical ecosystems of Sumatra.

World Wildlife Fund (WWF) said the historic agreement had represented the first-ever island-wide commitment to protect Sumatra's stunning biodiversity.

The commitment was announced Thursday at the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) World Conservation Congress in Barcelona and endorsed by the governors of Sumatra's 10 provinces -- the world's sixth-largest island -- and also by four ministers.

Sumatra is the only place in the world where tigers, elephants, orangutans and rhinos co-exist.

The agreement commits all the governors of Sumatra's provinces, along with the Indonesian ministries of forestry, environment, home affairs and public works, to restore critical ecosystems in Sumatra and protect areas with high conservation values, said deputy environmental minister Hermien Roosita.

"The governors will now work together to develop ecosystem-based spatial plans that will serve as the basis for future development on the island," she said.

WWF, Conservation International, Fauna and Flora International, Wildlife Conservation Society and other conservation groups working in Sumatra have agreed to help implement the political commitment to protect what remains of the island's species-rich forests and critical areas. The island has lost 48 percent of its natural forest cover since 1985.

"WWF is eager to help make this commitment a reality to protect the magnificent tropical forests across Sumatra. These forests shelter some of the world's rarest species and provide livelihoods for millions of people," said Mubariq Ahmad, CEO of WWF-Indonesia.

More than 13 percent of Sumatra's remaining forests are peat forests, which sit atop the deepest peat soil in the world; clearing peat forests is a major source of carbon emissions that cause climate change.

"By protecting these forests from deforestation, Sumatra will provide a significant contribution to mitigate global climate change," said Marlis Rahman, West Sumatra deputy governor.

Noor Hidayat, director of conservation areas, Indonesia's Forestry Ministry, had called for a broad-based effort involving local and national government officials, financial institutions, NGOs and communities to make the commitment a reality.

"We are calling on international communities to support us in implementing the commitment on the ground," Rahman said.

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